Abstract

The risks associated with large-scale global warming coupled with the continued scale of human carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions has driven research in new mitigation strategies, including the geological storage of CO2 in deep saline aquifers. Currently, CO2 is injected in a number of large field trials where it can be seen to rise and spread through porous rock, raising key questions about the feasibility of this emerging technology. How far is CO2 likely to spread, can it be trapped permanently, and what are the risks of leakage? We’ll explore these questions, showing how laboratory scale fluid models (and perhaps some live demonstrations) can help us interpret field scale industrial trials.